false 12 135 104 true 7577236 read 1 true 7577337 currently-reading 30 true 7577240 to-read 50 false 7577827 fantasy 41 false 7577893 classics 30 false 8505606 modern 13 false 8506145 sci-fi 9 false 8507228 non-fiction 9 false 8508416 young-adult 6 false 8507171 horror 3 false 8507207 short-stories 1 false 8590059 religion-philosophy http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/242508-alcohol-in-fantasy Matt made a comment in the Fantasy Book Club group:

Depending on the fantasy world, and the grains they grow, the drink would change, I suppose. I always imagine the wine being what much Roman wine reportedly was. Essentially a fruit juice that was lightly fermented, only partly for alcohol content, but mostly for preservation.
Of course, mead is popular in ancient lore and fantasy. If you haven't had the chance to try mead, it's a slightly bitter drink made from honey. The sweetness definitely bleeds through the bitter though. When it's served traditionally you heat it up with spices (basically the stuff you'd put in apple pie) and it's freaking delicious.
As for ale? Maybe it's just their marketing campaign, or my love for the drink itself, but Hobgoblin is the brand of beer I imagine most fantasy world taverns serve. If you like a heavy dark-ish beer, go check this stuff out. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78204579 The Children of Men (Paperback) by P.D. James
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/242472-the-struggling-job-market-in-the-fantasy-realm Matt made a comment in the Fantasy Book Club group:

Mawgojzeta & Jim: Absolutely! The worlds oldest profession will never go out of business. The problems I have with it are the dangers inherent in the business. Sex slave trade, forced drug abuse, and pimps have defiled it. A good house mom can run a place where the girls are safe from harm, and both the clients and women can be sure of a clean environment. Definitely much more honorable that the world's second oldest profession, Banking. I'll leave it up to you decide who are bigger whores.

As for Elise's answer. Kudos! I wanted to give the same answer very badly. Obviously I love reading and the accumulation of knowledge. But in the fantasy world of my imagination, few but the nobility are afforded a decent education. So I went with a semi skilled trade instead. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/76175-wheel-of-time-by-robert-jordan Matt made a comment in the Fantasy Book Club group:

Dear Chris,
I would suggest you seek professional help before you do something that gets you sent to Guantanamo Bay, my friend.
Seriously though, the forsaken are such a micro chasm of conflicting character cliches, almost every human weakness and desire is represented. What your favorite forsaken is could be it's own smaller question, perhaps one that explores your darker side and basest emotions. Your favorite Forsaken might represent your darkest sin. i.e.
Graendel = lust / Ishmael = pride / Lanfear = Vanity Rahvin = greed / Sammael = Wrath. And so on and so on.

One's favorite characters that walk in the light might reveal the best of somebody, and the corresponding shadow characters might reveal the worst. On that note, one's favorite noble blooded character might show something like how you aspire to succeed in life. And stuff.

Signed, with love,
Reading too much psychology into silly stories

P.S. But isn't that what silly stories are really for? ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/241474-how-would-you-fight-the-ancient-evil Matt made a comment in the Fantasy Book Club group:

Distilling would be extremely helpful. Obviously one jumps right to good liquor(something I would definitely want if the world fell to chaos), but a distiller has many uses other than that. Whiskey and Isopropyl Alcohol both serve as an antiseptic, and both need to be distilled. Or vinegar, which you need to process and preserve hundreds of types of food. I brew beer, and personally I'd say drink the beer, and save the spirits for the necessities, the good times, or the hardest.

Now...

It seems like most of you would settle with fortifying yourselves and trying to preserve what you could. I would likely do the same. But what happens when your settlement is one of only a handful left, and the armies of evil came a-knockin'? How would you organize a resistance? Or would you become refugees and continue to try and find a safe haven?

Also, Collin, do you have any suggestions for a good reference on distilling? My beer has gotten pretty consistently decent, and I'd like to try something new. I remember seeing a really cool distilling setup as a teenager in someone's dad's basement. But all the online resources seem to give sketchy instructions at best. Frankly, distilling seems a bit dangerous, and I'd like a reliable source before getting started.
It seems pretty easy to find aging barrels on craigslist, and barrel makers are actually almost common in my corner of the world. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76097660 to: A Crown of Swords (Wheel of Time, #7) by Robert Jordan
bookshelves: fantasy
Look,I know it's been said before (by most everybody that has read this book) but The Wheel of Time has become such a chore by book 7 it's hard to keep reading. I read through book 9 in high school and never picked up another. However, now that Brandon Sanderson is finishing the series I want to know what happens at the damned end. I mean seriously, what has happened to modern fantasy. All stories are supposed to have a beginning, middle, and END. Christ. I'll power through though, if only to get some closure on a series that has stolen many hours I could have been doing something productive. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78176273 to: The Jungle (Paperback) by Upton Sinclair
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78176209 to: Catch-22 (Paperback) by Joseph Heller
bookshelves: classics
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